Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS
Up for review: Garmin eTrex Venture HC. Designed for the avid hiking and geocaching enthusiast, the Garmin eTrex Venture HC inspires many trail adventures. It is a handheld GPS which provides basic navigational help. It has a small color screen which shows the maps of different terrains by connecting the dots from the current position to a programmed destination. However, there is no turn-by-turn or voice guidance. The base map included in the Garmin eTrex Venture HC points out the major water bodies, all the highways and coastlines. There is provision to download extra maps through a computer.
The user interface is not very intuitive and there is no touch screen. You will become familiar with the Garmin eTrex Venture HC with constant use. A joystick allows you to enter your destination. It uses route information from the MapSource software. Whether you want to go hiking or geocaching, the maps will provide all the relevant information. The joystick is a bit oddly positioned at the top left side of the screen. The technology and software too are not the most advanced, but this does not come in the way of perfect navigation.
The Garmin eTrex Venture HC can keep a record of the trail you follow from source to destination. You do not have to search for the roads on the return trip as the GPS will show you the initial trail. You can easily backtrack on this route again. You can also mark waypoints which will make your map more interesting. It will also help you to remember your trail while returning.
There is a built-in geocaching mode which you can use when you set out on your adventure. You can search geocaching.com to excavate the treasures along the path you tread. By sending a .gpx file to the parent company site via a USB cable, you can access the nearest geocaches in any area that you enter. The Garmin eTrex Venture HC shows you the nearest geocache and its location along with a small description of what to expect.
Garmin eTrex Venture HC Features and Specifications Review:
No. of waypoints: 500
Portability: Yes
WAAS enabled Yes
Text-to-speech: No
Download capability: No
Built-in base maps: Yes
Mapping software: No
PC connectivity: No
Voice prompts: No
Backlit display: Yes
Color display: Yes
Water resistant: Yes
Battery life: up to 14 hours
Battery included: Yes
AC adapter: Yes
Screen size: 2.2”
3D map view: No
Warranty terms – parts: 1 year limited
Warranty terms – labor: 1 year limited
The Garmin eTrex Venture HC does not vouch for pinpoint accuracy. It will show you the way and take you to within 15-20 feet of your destination. Usually this is alright for most users. You can easily make out your destination or your geocache from this distance. It is in fact, perfect for the first-time user and geocache adventure. Its price is also not high if you are not in the mood to invest mush for your first GPS. It is optimally priced at $150 MSRP.
There are also many advanced features like hunting and fishing calendars, sun and moon information, trip computer and an area calculator. However, there is no barometric altimeter or electronic compass. These features could have been added for better performance. The Garmin eTrex Venture HC supports Topo 2008, City Navigator and 24K National Parks maps. But because the GPS has limited onboard memory, entire maps cannot be loaded at once. Only a portion of each map can be loaded at a time. The Garmin eTrex Venture HC is the perfect companion for the entry-level GPS enthusiast and gives good value for its price.